Evaluation of the Use of Library Resources and Services in the Nigerian Navy Secondary Schools in Western Nigeria

Purpose: The Nigeria educational system is toeing the line of the international trends, where the emphasis has now shifted from traditional pupil-teacher interaction to the scientific approach of teaching (self-discovery) that is child-centered. Thus, changes in roles and objectives are expected of the school library system. This study examined the evaluation of the use of library resources and services in the Nigerian Navy Secondary Schools in Western Nigeria. The purposes of this research were to: ascertain how relevant and adequate the library resources and services to the academic performance of students are, identify factors influencing the use of library resources and services in the selected schools and proffer solutions to them. Methodology: Four research questions guided the study. The descriptive survey research design and inferential statistical method of analyses were adopted for the study. The sample population of the study was drawn from Nigerian Navy Secondary School (NNSS) Ojo – Lagos and NNSS Abeokuta made up of students and teachers. A total of 1910 respondents consist of 1733 students and 177 teachers. The instruments for data collection were the questionnaire semi-structured interviews, an examination of library acquisition records, and personal observation. The data were analyzed were using frequency, percentage, bar, and pie charts. Findings: The results revealed that the library resources and services available are inadequate and the degree of usage is poor in both schools. Six major challenges were identified by respondents in the two schools as factors influencing the use of Library resources and services. These are the inadequate fund, lack of standard school library buildings, among others. The respondents proffered six major solutions to mitigate the challenges of the use of library resources and services in the study. These are the provision of sufficient funds for library management, staff training, and the construction of fully furnished standard library buildings. Implications: From the findings, the school libraries in the study would not be able to achieve the basic goals of the school library which include promoting love for learning and supporting the school curricular if the proffered solutions are not implemented. Originality/Value: This research has not been published in any journal before. Its originality lies in its ability to enable the school management to fully embrace the use of library resources and services to promote literacy development